Change in the Weather
by BrookenLucas12
Summary: AU. For as long as either of them could remember, Haley James and Brooke Davis had been best friends. Haley had always been the responsible one, and Brooke the reckless one. Twenty three years later, things change. BH friendship, NH, BL.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **So I've been kind of promising this to the BH thread on fan forum - specifically _Lizzie_ -- forever now, so I'm finally going to go ahead and post this. I've been writing so much angst lately that I kind of really need this. Hopefully you'll enjoy it. This is kind of like my thanks to everyone that read _**Only The Good Die Young **_and made it such a wonderful experience for me to write. Hopefully this will be like that too.

Basic summary is, Brooke breaks up with her loser boyfriend Chris, and moves in with her recently estranged best friend, Haley. Suddenly, Brooke finds _herself_ in a rather serious relationship with a certain Lucas Scott, and Haley finds _herself_ playing Brooke's role as the one having a fun, casual relationship with Lucas' brother, Nathan.

Basic background story will be explained, but just forget everything you know about the show, except for the characters themselves, really. I'm planning on making this a Brooke/Haley friendship, with lots of **BL** and **NH**. Ignore the pairings at the beginning, please. Heh, thanks.

And, er enjoy!

---

_**Change in the Weather**_

_**Prologue**_

Their friendship had not been a one to slowly develop, or reach the full altitude of its potential once they were in their early teens. It had not been torn apart by boys, or brought together by a common liking of something. It had simply just always been.

Brooke Davis and Haley James had met in a pretty traditional way to meet friends when you were a child; in the sandbox. Haley had been muddy and laughing, and Brooke, in her new, checkered dress, had enjoyed the sight of this. Not able to help herself, she had taken a seat beside the other girl, introducing herself. They'd been inseparable since.

They had gone to the same pre-school, because Haley's mother had told Brooke's mother that she'd be sending Haley to the Sunshine Pre-School, and Barbara Davis had seen the friendship budding already and so had therefore decided to send Brooke to the same school.

Pre-school was a blur of the two of them sitting side by side drawing pictures, and then kindergarten followed similarly, and by first grade, Lydia James would open up her front door to see Brooke Davis standing with her Little Mermaid backpack strapped firmly on and an already flawless smile on her face almost daily.

By middle school, Brooke had grown into her tight-fitting shirts, and was certainly considered popular. Haley was dragged into this as well, doomed to be popular because of her friendship with Brooke. Brooke and Haley often housed the slumber parties at their respective homes, where the arts of putting on makeup, making out, and spreading gossip were taught.

Upon their high school graduation, Brooke and Haley were named 'Best Friends' in their high school yearbook, along with Brooke getting 'Most social', 'Most popular', 'Prettiest smile', and 'Most likely to become famous'. Haley walked away proudly with, 'Most likely to be the first female President'.

Not even graduation could separate them. Nothing could. And honestly, this shocked everyone around them.

Haley was sensible, and quiet, and soft spoken. She did what was expected of her _always_. Getting good grades, giving the valedictorian speech, going to college. She hadn't dated much in high school, and even when she did, she didn't do more than she should with any guy. She tutored and she didn't really enjoy shopping or tanning, or any other activities girls these days seemed accustomed to. Her hair was a soft brown, spilling in tamed waves down her shoulders, a gift from her mother. Her nose was her father's. Her doe-eyes were entirely her own, large and innocent, and sweet. Sweet was a word often used to describe Haley James. Or possibly _nice_.

Brooke was the exact opposite of her best friend. If Haley was vanilla, she was chocolate. If Haley was an angel, she was a devil. Mediocre grades and a love to party had been quite her thing in high school. Not to mention boys. Boys, boys, boys. Brooke had a different boy on her arm each week, and often they'd be seen sneaking off behind bleachers, or perhaps into the old janitorial closet. She was popular and she thrived on it. And of course, the popularity thing surprised no one. She was gorgeous. Raven-haired with possibly the most stunning face you would ever see, dimples imprinting her cheeks permanently, with large hazel eyes that could convince _anyone_ to do _anything_.

The only thing that separated Brooke Davis from most of the popular girls in high school was that she had a fierce love for Haley James. Not in a sexual way, of course. Haley and Brooke were simply best friends, simple as that. More loyal to each other than any other.

So okay, their friendship didn't exactly make the most _sense_, but people accepted it for what it was.

When the summer after high school graduation led them from the small town of Tree Hill to the large city of New York together, people accepted it.

If years later, however, you were to tell them everything had changed about these two girls, they would not believe you.

Brooke Davis was the wild one, and Haley James was the tame one.

That's just the way it was.


	2. The Worst Day Since Yesterday

_**Author's Note: **_Whoa. I have to say, I was not expecting such a wonderful response from everyone. You guys are _fantastic _already! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I had a hard time figuring out New York since I don't live there, but I think it worked out in the end. This story is already so much fun, and I can't wait to get started on all the ideas I have planned. I hope everyone enjoys and reviews!

---

_**Change in the Weather**_

_**Chapter One: The Worst Day Since Yesterday**_

It was a morning pretty similar to most mornings. Haley James-Jagielski awoke to the sound of her husband's alarm clock at six AM sharp, and was ready to start her day.

He was showered, dressed, fed, and out the door all before seven-thirty, and she was just happy to have a few moments to herself, surprised that her sleeping child had not woken before her as she did on most days.

She thought for a moment about what she would do, twenty-six years old with just a few minutes to spare before the toddler woke up screaming, alone in her medium-sized home. She could think of nothing.

This was just sad. Had she really become _that_ girl? The one that grew up to raise a family and could say she'd accomplished nothing else? It seemed that way to her. She had graduated from college engaged, and had married soon after. In less than a year, she was pregnant and shifting into mother-gear instead of career-gear. She knew of many mothers that could juggle children _and_ a job, but it was harder to _start _a career when you were still breastfeeding.

So here she was, jobless, with her life completely and utterly dedicated to her family and nothing else. She hadn't expected this to be her life, but she'd long-since grown to accept the fact that it was. And honestly, it wasn't that terrible.

Her husband, Jake Jagielski was a decent man making a very decent income that supported their life-style. With short, dark, curly hair and a smile that almost always made her smile every time he used it. They had been together for nearly seven years now, and though the novelty of being in the fairy-tale stage of a relationship had long since worn off, they were still relatively happy, she supposed.

Well, they were married. It wasn't supposed to be exciting. Or so she thought. Wasn't like she'd ever been married before.

"Mommy!" She heard the little girl's voice from upstairs, and instantly sighed with relief at the fact that she would no longer be left with just her own thoughts. "Mo-mm_y!" _

As she neared the bedroom, Haley could hear the young child's attempts to reach the ground from her new "big girl" bed, and when she finally entered, she raised an eyebrow at the amusing sight. Ava was unsuccessfully trying to lower herself to the ground, clinging to the bed sheets as she went slowly. When she had finally stumbled into a standing position, Ava threw a frown at her mother.

"What you took so long?" With her hands on her hips, her ashy brown hair a mess around her shoulders, and her chocolate brown eyes that mirrored Haley's exactly, she looked surprisingly like a young version of herself.

The barely-three year old girl shakily walked towards her mother, instantly opening up her arms, expecting to be picked up. Haley complied, murmuring an apology for taking that whopping six seconds to reach her. Ava Jagielski had little patience, and she got it from her father.

As the duo made it down the stairs of their two level house, Ava began to babble incessantly about the dream she'd had the night before. Often, she would end her own sentences abruptly, the talking too much for her little mouth to handle, and then would begin again, starting the sentence over. This lasted through most of breakfast, and even though Ava's story made little to no sense, Haley still listened thoroughly.

Mostly, as she watched her daughter's lips move, she marveled at the fact that she had _created_ this child. This was what _she_ had accomplished. And she was so beautiful.

Ava had successfully finished eating most of her breakfast with no fuss, and had even semi-successfully managed to tell her dream story, and it was not even eight-thirty yet. Right on schedule.

"So, what do you want to do today, sweetie?"

"The park! The park!"

She'd known the answer before her daughter had spoken. After all, this was just an ordinary morning similar to most mornings on an ordinary day similar to most days.

---

She was hungover, _again_. While this was usually no surprise, the fact that Brooke Davis had been _required_ to be at work this morning at ten - _no_ excuses - had only made this experience twenty times worse than it already was. Normally, she would have called in sick, and this morning she had certainly been tempted to, but unfortunately, due to her lack of, well, responsibility, this was her last chance if she didn't want to be fired.

Of course, she'd been working at this café for almost three years now, and was quite friendly to both her co-workers and customers. It was just that she'd called in sick more than she'd actually come into work, and her boss was getting sick of it.

It wasn't like this job was some big catch anyway, she mused bitterly to herself as she hastily wiped a grimy table. _Anyone_ could work here, and most of the clientele was so hungover _themselves_, they wouldn't notice if a bum was serving them.

"Brooke," the middle-aged manager, Sophie, called out in her direction, and Brooke mildly recognized the music playing in Vic's Café, but could not bring herself to remember the name of the song or band itself. "You're on bathroom duty."

Biting her lip, Brooke shook her head slowly. "Sorry, I don't understand.."

"You. Mop. Bathrooms. _Now_." Sophie tilted her head to the side, well aware of Brooke's current position job-wise. Brooke mentally cursed at her. Working the bathrooms at Vic's Café was the worst _possible_ job on Earth. She'd nearly thrown up the few times she'd been forced to do it, and once she even had, a little.

As she made her way to the women's restroom, fake smile planted on her face, Brooke pulled her cell phone out from her apron pocket, dialing a number so familiar it may as well have been her own.

After a few rings, she heard Haley's familiar, "Hello?"

"Haley!" She managed to screech, eyes watering as the door neared. "I'm quitting. I'm quitting, I'm quitting, I'm quitting."

"Brooke, you can't quit," came the reasonable reply. "You know no one else will hire you. Plus, you need the money."

"Okay, if I _wanted_ you to tell me what to do, I would have asked for advice." She snapped. Her best friend didn't seem to realize _how_ disgusting these bathrooms were.

"Would you have called if you weren't expecting it anyway?"

She wanted to groan. Slam her head into a wall. _Anything_. "Whatever. It's too early for me to be up and at 'em."

"It's past eleven."

"Sorry that not all of us get up at the crack of dawn! I don't see why you do anyway, considering you have a _husband_."

"Right. And those things are only good for making money and watching the baby simultaneously." Brooke could practically _hear_ Haley's eyes rolling.

She scoffed. "Not what I meant. Anyway, I'm too hungover. I might have to quit anyway. My head is _throbbing_ and my body is totally aching."

"Do I _want_ to know why your body is aching?"

"Chris and--"

"Nope!"

"Hales, you're such a prude. Why can't we ever talk about sex?" Brooke knew that Haley's experience was sort of.. _limited_ compared to hers, but she was still certainly interested in knowing how that cute Jagielski boy of hers did in bed.

"I'm at the park right now, surrounded by tons of other mothers, not to mention I'm currently pushing my daughter on the swings right now, and she is definitely in ear-shot."

"I mean, _ever_."

"Because it's _weird_. I mean, ew - I don't know, just shut up." Just as clearly as she'd been able to tell that Haley had earlier been rolling her eyes, she could now clearly hear the blush creeping up on Haley's cheeks.

"Whatever. So, I'm quitting. Thought I'd call you and let you know before I did."

"Uh-huh," Her friend chuckled. "And how do you plan on paying the bills?"

Brooke snorted. "Please. Me and Chris haven't had electricity in months, but I'm sure he can foot the bill for the rent."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot that Chris was a struggling unemployed musician with _bucket loads _of cash." The sarcasm dripped from Haley's lips to Brooke's ears, and she sighed loudly.

"Haley, he's not unemployed."

"Selling dope doesn't count. Speaking of--"

"Please. Haven't done that stuff since college. Thanks for the vote of confidence though."

"_Okay_, sorry. Anyway, I have to go. I can't push Ava and talk to you at the same time."

"Alright. Go tend to your precious daughter. I'm quitting. Love you."

As she hung up, Brooke held the phone to her ear for another moment, as if the answers to her problem would suddenly come spilling out through the small device if she did. When nothing happened, she lowered the phone back into her apron pocket, staring at the women's restroom door, unsure of whether or not she would go in, knowing it would decide her future at the café.

She looked back and forth between the direction of her manager and the door, and realized with a deep frown that this was probably the most important decision she'd ever made in her life.

---

Haley caught herself smiling as she eyed the calendar that hung in the Jagielski kitchen. While it was mostly filled with kiddy birthday parties Ava would later attend, mixers for Jake's work, and the weekly dinner date she and Brooke had, her eyes were fixed on the day that tonight had landed on.

It was a Wednesday.

Wednesday nights meant one thing for Haley: sex.

Earlier in their marriage, sex had been more of a convenience than a responsibility, but these days, if they didn't plan for it to happen, it simply wouldn't. They were just too busy. So almost two years before, Haley and Jake had named Wednesday nights _the_ night, and although it faltered occasionally, Haley was definitely in the mood to allow it to play out tonight.

A slight frown tugged at her features when she remembered her conversation with Brooke earlier that day.

The true reason why Haley didn't want to discuss sex with Brooke was because, well, there wasn't all that much to tell. Brooke had crazy, interesting, fun sex! Haley had boring, normal sex.

Plus, Jake was the only man she'd ever been with. Brooke was with a new guy pretty much each month! They were just too different to be able to appreciate a conversation on sex. Frankly, it would simply embarrass her too much! She probably wouldn't even understand _half_ of what Brooke was saying.

Maybe they'd change that tonight. Maybe things would be more interesting. Maybe _she'd_ make it more interesting.

Besides, they were due for a change.

---

Brooke had met Chris when he had performed during an open-mic night at the café. She'd had to admit that he had a pretty damn good voice, not to mention the fact that he was cute in an odd way. Almost instantly, they'd started dating. It had been almost a month and a half now, and though it was a pretty casual relationship, this was as serious as it had ever gotten for her.

When the door to their one-room apartment opened less than a half hour after she had plopped herself down on their bed, Brooke sat up, eyeing her boyfriend cautiously.

He'd clearly had a drink or two, which was obvious when he tripped over air and nearly toppled onto her. He was just buzzed though, sober enough to have this conversation with her at least.

"Babe, I think I may have gotten a record deal today." Hair standing on end, eyes red and bleary, he definitely didn't look like the type of person _anyone_ would be signing.

"Okay," She decided just to blow past it. "I quit my job."

This seemed to startle him. "What?"

"Yeah. I couldn't work there anymore. Sucky hours, sucky pay.."

"Right, right, right."

She clicked her tongue. Okay, so he _wasn't_ getting it. "Chris, how much money do you have right now? Because I can't be footing the bill anymore. I've got nothing. No money saved up, no nothing." As she said the words, she suddenly realized how stupid she sounded. How did she _not_ have a savings account? Haley had been putting money into her own since before she could do math.

"Why not hit up your parents for cash?"

"Chris," She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, deciding, for the moment, to be a mature, rational adult. "My parents cut me off when I dropped out of college. You know that."

"Oh, yeah! I forgot. Okay, so, what do we do?"

"_Well_, do _you_ have any money?"

Chris laughed. As if this were a joke. And then, as if this were not enough, he said, "I moved in with you because I got kicked out of my own place, remember? I obviously don't have enough to support us."

"So what do we do?" Brooke parroted his earlier words, eyes narrowed.

"Who cares?" He shrugged, laying back on the bed. "We'll figure it out when the bill comes."

The nagging voice in her head she liked to call Haley told her this was not a sufficient answer, so she swallowed her desire to simply forget about it and lay beside him, and stood strong.

"Chris, maybe you should get a job. I mean, your music isn't doing so well right now, so--"

"Hey!" He sat up straighter. "I _told_ you about this thing today. I'm totally--"

"Yeah, and as _promising_ as that sounds," This time she did not resist, pausing to roll her eyes as she spoke. "We need more than that. _I _need more than that."

He blinked.

She felt her patience begin to fail her. She deserved to at least be taken care of. Chris would not do this, she understood. "Look, maybe.. Maybe this isn't working out."

"Brookie, what are you _talking_ about? Come lay down.. We'll be _fine_!"

Brooke shook her head. "Chris, I'm twenty-six years old. You're thirty-two! We should have this figured out already!" They were words she'd not only never spoken before, but had never even _thought_ of before.

Up until this moment, her life had been about fun. She partied every night, she went from guy to guy happily, and she _definitely_ didn't worry about anything ahead of time. She didn't understand this sudden need to grow up, but it was what had landed her into this argument - if it could be called that, what with Chris' lax demeanor - and out of a job in the first place.

"Okay, what's _with_ you today?"

"Nothing! I want - I don't know what I want, but I _don't_ want to be in this situation right now. Chris, I think this just isn't working out."

She wanted to tell him, you're great in bed, but you suck at everything else. Including life. Instead she waited calmly for his response.

"Babe, Chris Keller _knows _that you won't leave him."

"Chris Keller referring to himself in the third person is _not_ going to help matters!" She scoffed, already beginning to pack her suitcase.

He watched in disbelief, and then sat up after a moment, realizing she was serious. He grabbed for her hands, and tugged on her pants, eyes beginning to water. "No, don't leave! Please, please. I'll do anything!"

"I'm already gone," She shook her head sadly.

"How will I even pay for this place?"

"Not my problem."

He smirked. "Where will you go, Brooke? You've got nowhere."

She smiled softly. "No, but I've got Haley."

---

As she heard the front door close, Haley scurried towards her and Jake's bed, hastily throwing the blankets off the bed, and situating herself in the middle, adjusting her lingerie as she did.

She was wearing a skimpy nightgown that left little to the imagination, cutting very low on top and very high on bottom. Her legs were left entirely exposed, and she ran a hand over the newly shaved skin, shimmering with the new lotion she'd purchased.

Jake's heavy footsteps walked up the stairs, and when he reached their doorway, he seemed to linger outside for a moment. She was growing impatient as she waited for him, but when he finally entered, she allowed her smile to grow seductive.

"Hey," She said in the most sultry voice she could conjure up. "It's Wednesday."

So it wasn't exactly the _sexiest_ thing she could have said, but it wasn't like she had anything better.

He tugged at his tie, eyeing her only momentarily before looking down at the ground. "Yeah, uh, I'm not really in the mood tonight."

She sighed, throwing her legs off the side of the bed and making her way towards him. "Aw, come on. It'll be fun."

Haley wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pried them off, carefully choosing his next words before he spoke.

"Look, I think we need to talk…"

---

Brooke slung the large bag on her shoulder up higher as she walked, attempting to light a cigarette with a lighter that had basically no juice left in it. With an angry yell, she tossed both items into the New York City street.

It was just as well. Smoking caused cancer or whatever, and she'd only even taken Chris' cigarettes to be a bitch.

It was dark out and of course it was also _freezing_. Her clothes were no match for the weather. Especially her heels, which now suddenly felt too small for her usually size-six feet.

Fishing through one of her bags, she pulled out a tiny silver object she was sure was the only thing that could save her right now. As she began to dial her best friend's number, she saw the familiar digits pop up before her own eyes, and she frowned. Haley was calling _her_. But it was _Wednesday. _Strange.

"Hales," She answered breathlessly. "I'm having the _worst_ night. You'll never believe what I did--"

"Jake left me."

What scared her most wasn't even the fact that Haley had uttered the words. It was _how_ she'd uttered them. There was no emotion in her voice. As if she were some mental patient in a hospital repeating a useless "code" over and over and over again.

Haley's voice reminded her of death, or something awfully close to it.


	3. Something to Believe in

_**Author's Note**_: Oh my God. At first, I really didn't think anyone was going to like the last chapter. But I was very blown away by all the reviews! You guys are wonderful. Thank you so much for all the reviews, and I'm sorry this one took so long. I was struggling with it, and I don't think it's as long as the last one, but I tried to do what I could.

I know it's kind of darkish right now, but I swear it'll be lighter later on. We just need to get past all this drama!

Thank you _sosososo_ much for the reviews, and keep 'em coming!

---

_**Change in the Weather**_

_**Chapter Two: Something to Believe in**_

If, from the outside, you were to look inside Haley's house, you would think that nothing was wrong. As Brooke stood on the sidewalk, she suspiciously cocked her head to the side, realizing this.

Of course, it wasn't like she was expecting Jake's belongings to be strewn across the lawn, or all the lights to be off, windows to be shattered, screams to be heard. Still, this was a little too anti-climatic for the situation at hand.

With a heavy sigh, she began to prepare herself for the worst. She figured Haley would be bawling, Ava would be absolutely confused, and she'd have _a lot_ of cleaning up to do tonight. She was used to relying on Haley when she had problems, but Haley _rarely_ relied on her. This would be new for her.

She knocked a few times at the door, musing that, had this been just a few years earlier, she wouldn't have had to knock. When there was no reply, she made a face. "Hales, please tell me you haven't killed your--"

The door opened just before she could finish her sentence, and she stared with wide eyes at the sight before her.

Haley looked completely and utterly -- normal. Albeit a little too sexy for her usual taste. There was no mascara stains underneath her eyes, in fact, there were no tear stains at all. Haley was _smiling_, for God's sake.

She'd been expecting Haley to throw herself into her arms. She hadn't been expecting the cheerful "Hey!" she'd been greeted with.

"Um.." She wasn't sure of exactly what to say. Had this whole 'Jake-left-me' thing been a joke? "_Hi_..?" The word had come out as more of a question than an actual elicited response.

"God, come in, come in. You must be freezing." Haley pulled the door open, hugging her quickly before closing the door so loudly that Brooke jumped. She felt as if she was in some twisted horror movie. Yeah, Haley was definitely about to murder her ass.

"Hales, um, are you.." She dropped her things, still looking around, confused.

"So, what happened with Chris?" Haley placed her hands on her hips. "I have to say, I'm kind of glad things ended. I mean--"

"_Haley_. What happened with Jake?"

Her friends seemed suddenly uncomfortable. "It's - I don't know. He left."

"Okay. You're handling it pretty well."

"It's not permanent." Haley shrugged.

"Did he tell you that?"

"Brooke, obviously he was having a bad day, or something like that. He didn't just leave, okay? He'll be back soon."

Uh-oh. Denial wasn't just a river in Egypt. "Hales, on the phone you told me that he packed a bag. He said he just wasn't sure it was working anymore, and he left. That doesn't really sound to be like he'll be coming back soon."

"We have a family. Jake's not the type of guy to just walk out on a family."

"Is there someone else?"

"Brooke! Of course not!"

Brooke leaned forward, reaching for Haley's hands and clasping them tightly in her own. "It's okay to be upset."

"I'm not upset. In fact, I understand. I kind of needed a break too."

This was worse than she'd expected. At least with Haley sobbing hysterically, she could properly comfort her. How could you comfort someone who wouldn't even let themselves admit something was even wrong?

"I--"

"I'm really tired though. Can we talk about this more tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Haley pulled her into another hug. "It's great to have you staying here. Jake won't mind when he gets home, I promise."

As her friend made her way up the stairs, Brooke stared after her, completely confused.

"Okay," she said after her, quietly. "I guess I'll just sleep in the guest room."

---

Jake was coming back. He was coming back because he had to. Jake was a reasonable man, and Haley knew without a doubt inside her that he would do the right thing.

Maybe Brooke thought she was crazy, and for a while, she had thought so too. Right after Jake had told her he wanted out, she had sat and watched him pack a bag. He'd kissed her politely on the cheek, and as he'd left, she had not allowed herself to think. She had simply called Brooke, and told her the details. It had hit her right after hanging up with Brooke that she'd seem something like this once before on Oprah or Dr. Phil. People did this. It happened. She'd be fine. Their marriage needed a breather, but it would be _fine_.

Jake would call in a few days, they'd have dinner, and make up.

Plus, she had to stay positive for Ava, who had slept through this entire debacle. Ava didn't need to deal with a divorce when she was a baby. Jake would not put her through that. He _loved_ Ava.

Haley knew all this.

She took every detail in consideration, and she had finally come to the conclusion that this was a bump in the road. She would not bother her parents by calling them to tell them, she would not tell her friends (except for Brooke of course), and she would certainly not check the box labeled 'separated' on any documents she needed to fill out.

Everything would work out.

It always did.

---

It took Brooke a second to recognize the room she was in. After all, it wasn't like she'd expected yesterday morning to be the last time she'd wake up in her own apartment. It was strange how much life could change in one day.

She wasn't sure how she felt. Certainly accomplished. Yet still, she felt really more _unaccomplished_ than anything. Yesterday she'd had a job and a boyfriend-- or.. Well, she'd had a Chris. Today she was jobless and Chris-less.

At that very moment, Brooke realized that she might have made a mistake. What had she been hoping for by making this little split? Freedom? Sure, she was now free. Of course, this meant that she would be forced to live off Haley for a while.

Haley! She had completely forgotten about her best friend's problems, so caught up in her own drama she'd been. The second her friend's face popped into her head, she was up and at 'em, ready to be the friend Haley needed her to be.

She tugged her hair into a loose ponytail, making her way quietly downstairs. As she got closer and closer to the kitchen, she was sure she heard -- was that humming?

"Brooke!" A voice chirped as she reached the last step. She couldn't help but cringe. Haley's voice was definitely not this naturally.. _chipper. _

"Hales--"

"Have a seat. Me and Avey are having waffles. And by the way, you got here so late last night that we didn't get to talk about what happened!"

"What happened?" She dropped into one of the kitchen stools, resting her chin on her hands.

"Between you and Chris!"

"Well, I broke up with him for being a deadbeat, and then moved out because I knew I would never get him to leave if I decided to stay. Now, what about you and Jake?"

Haley held a finger to her lips, but it was too late. As if on cue, upon hearing her father's name, Ava looked up at her mother with wide eyes. "Where's daddy, mommy?"

Brooke slapped a hand to her forehead, mouthing the word, 'stupid'.

Haley stuttered before finally managing to mutter, "W-work, babe. Daddy's at work."

"Oh," Ava paused, then returned to eating her food. "Okay."

A few moments later, the young girl had run into her adjacent playroom, instantly grabbing the coloring books and crayons-- her favorite toys.

"Brooke! Don't bring up the Jake situation in front of her!" Haley scolded in a harsh whisper after her daughter had left.

"What _is_ the Jake situation?" Her friend replied desperately, waving an arm in the air.

"I- I don't know. But it's not a big deal. It'll work out."

"Haley, Jake _left_ you. You said so yourself last night."

"He was having a rough night. But we're going to work it out."

Brooke shook her head. "Have you even talked to him?"

"No," Haley explained, "I've decided I'm going to give him a few days to calm down. I'm going to wait for him to call me."

How could she possibly get through to her friend? "Haley, what if he _doesn't_ call?"

"He's going to call." Haley said it with such confidence, that for just a moment, Brooke believed the words to be true.

---

Today, Brooke went with Haley and Ava on their daily trip to the park. Though walking wasn't her _favorite_ thing to do, she was happy to have the chance to catch up with her best friend and favorite God-daughter.

As they walked however, Brooke found herself fighting the urge to punch her best friend in the face. Hard.

"Wait," Haley was laughing, which really, if you thought about it, she really shouldn't have been doing at this point in life, but whatever. "You broke up with Chris and quit your job _so_ you can grow up?"

"Exactly." Brooke nodded slowly.

"Well, the Chris part was definitely a good idea. But quitting your job, Brooke? That's not smart."

"I'll find a new job." She shrugged.

"Doing what?"

"I don't know, Haley," she was frustrated now, running a hand through her hair. "Can we just not talk about this?"

"Fine. But I must say, I'm happy that you decided to come stay with me." Haley smiled, and Brooke leaned into her friend, giving her a slight squeeze.

"Where else would I have gone?"

They reached the park, and both girls sat on the park bench, watching Ava play and reminiscing like they usually did when they met up. Since Haley and Jake had gotten married, Brooke and Haley had less time to spend together, so most of the time they had together was savored. They had weekly dates set, and while that would be enough for most people, _most people_ would not understand that Brooke and Haley had been best friends their entire lives, spending weeks at a time together. Once a week was not nearly enough.

A few hours had flown by, and the girls were still contently chatting. By now, Brooke was laying back on the bench, her legs resting on Haley's.

"Ava's getting tall." Brooke said suddenly, her eyes on the little girl running through the jungle gym.

"You think?" Haley perked up.

Brooke squinted as the sun hit her square in the eyes. She used her hands to cover them. "Nope. I was trying to make you feel better."

"She'll be short like me," Haley decided after a moment. "I always hoped she'd take after Jake."

Brooke made a face, muttering, "Jake's not even that tall."

A silence took over them at the mention of Jake's name. Brooke thought that she'd been a terrible friend to ever let them walk down that aisle together. They'd been in love once, but she didn't think that was the reasoning behind their marriage. She should have never liked Jake. She should have seen past his boyish little smile.

But she hadn't. She wasn't sure she could forgive herself.

"Do you really think he'll come back?" She asked her best friend after a moment, hoping Haley would answer her truthfully.

It was a long time before Haley replied. "I have to. Otherwise I don't think I'll make it."

Brooke only wished she knew what this meant.


	4. At Long Last it's Crashed, it's Colossal

_**Author's Note: **_Okay, so I'm a terrible person. But hey, I finally updated! I know that I owe updates to several other stories, and I'm really sorry. You guys are just amazing, and I'm really going to try to get updates out sooner. Also, I had a bunch of ideas written down for this story in a notebook, and I cannot find it **anywhere**. Which really sucks. So I'm going to try to get more organized, and hopefully the updates will get better and better.

For those of you impatient BL/NH fans, don't worry! Heh. The girls**will** meet the guys soon. I just have to set up the storylines leading up to the meetings. So, enjoy.

_**Change in the Weather**_

_**Chapter Three: At Long Last it's Crashed, it's Colossal Mass **_

"_Hales, it's Jake. Give me a call back on my cell phone. I'd like to meet up with you so we can talk. Alright.. Thanks, bye." _

Knees tucked into her chest, her hair wild and frizzy from sleep, Haley pressed repeat on the answering machine, not able to control the smile that spread over her features.

Brooke stood beside her in the living room, eyes rolling regularly with her arms stiffly at her sides. She could not understand Haley's enthusiasm. Jake had left over _five_ days ago, and he was _just_ calling to schedule a meeting?

"I told you he'd call," Haley blinked once the message was over, grinning widely. "I told you he'd call! He called!"

It was true. Haley _had_ told Brooke that Jake would call. Granted, Haley had also told Brooke that she was sure she and Jake would work it out, that this was no big deal. To say that Haley James-Jagielski had spent the past five days in denial was an understatement. Brooke could remember watching Jake Gyllenhaal promoting his new movie on Conan O'Brian. He'd told a story of his obsessed-with-baseball friend who, at a Red Sox game, had thought for a whopping _three_ minutes that he'd caught a fly ball in his mitt. Haley was like that to her right now. She was holding the empty glove, and all Brooke wanted to do was shake her and say, "The ball's not in your mitt, Haley!"

Brooke knew that Jake wasn't calling because he wanted to reconcile. If that were true, he would have just come home. He wouldn't have wanted to make plans to "meet up". But she did not tell Haley this. Instead, she forced a smile and swallowed her doubts and nodded along with her best friend.

"I'm going to call him back right now." Haley practically jumped on top of the phone, dialing the number so quickly, Brooke could tell she'd wanted to do it since the minute he'd walked out the door.

Before she could stop herself, the brunette jumped towards her friend, ripping the phone from her ear and clicking it off.

"What the hell was that for?" Haley choked out angrily, throwing her arms up in confusion.

"Well," Brooke sputtered. "Shouldn't you like, at least wait a while? You can't just call him back immediately. He's going to think you're desperate!"

"Brooke," Haley rolled her eyes with a knowing smile, tugging the phone gently from her friend's grip. "This isn't high school. We're mature adults, and we're going to handle this situation like mature adults."

So, Brooke watched helplessly as Haley dialed the number once more, pulling the phone to her ear and nervously playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Jake?.. Hey.. Yeah, I just got your message.. Uh-huh.. Yeah, I'd love to meet for dinner. When?.. Tonight at eight.. Yeah, how about that new Italian place?.. Oh, okay.. Alright.. Well, I'll see you tonight.. Love yo- Oh, he hung up." Haley sighed as she placed the phone back on the receiver.

"So?" Brooke tapped her foot expectantly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well you heard. We're going to dinner," Haley stood, crossing the living room floor into the kitchen for a drink. "Oh, I'm going to need you to watch Ava."

"Obviously. But _what_ did he say? Anything about why he left?"

Haley shook her head. "No, we'll probably talk about it at dinner. Hopefully he'll move back in tonight so she can see him tomorrow when she wakes up."

"Haley--"

"God, I need to shower before I go. What time is it?"

"Uh, four-thirty but--"

"Brooke," Haley smiled. "Don't worry. This is all going to work out. I _knew_ this was what would happen."

Brooke gulped, knowing that Haley had _no_ idea about what would happen. Truthfully, neither did she.

But she had a feeling _her_ approach was a slightly more realistic one.

--

Hair toweled down, makeup applied, wedding ring securely fasted on, Haley's only problem was what she would wear. And Brooke was sure to help her with that, even if it was against her will.

"Black dress?" From her closet, Haley held up a modest, cotton number.

Brooke made a face. "Too funeral-y."

"Okay, how about this one?" She tugged a white, long-sleeved dress.

"Um, too I'm-a-virgin-on-my-wedding-day." Brooke shook her head.

"First of all, there's nothing wrong with being a virgin on your wedding day." Haley rolled her eyes, returning into her walk-in closet.

"Well, you're not a virgin right now, so scrap it. Don't you have anything red? Or black?"

She placed her hands on her hips. "I showed you a black dress!"

"You're right, you did," Brooke nodded. "I've actually seen that dress before on… who was it? Oh, right. My _grandmother_."

"All you had to say was that you didn't like it." Haley stuck out her tongue and Brooke returned to the motion.

Haley sighed. "Alright, I have _this_ dress." She showed Brooke a cream-colored dress that was sure to cover all of Haley's assets.

"So, you pretty much own nothing sexy."

"_This_, to me, is sexy."

"Again, so, you pretty much own nothing sexy."

Haley frowned, bending down to pick up a shoe and hurl it at Brooke.

"Whoa! Careful with the moccasins," she paused. "Dear. God. You _own_ moccasins?"

"Shut up!"

Haley slid the dress on, and sure enough, it cut off just below her knees, and just above her breasts, leaving _everything_ to the imagination. It did _kind of _accentuate Haley's curves, Brooke had to give it that.

"Alright, now I need shoes.."

"And a sweater," Brooke piped in. "It's chilly."

As Haley dug through her closet, Brooke decided this was the only chance she had to speak to Haley before dinner.

Taking a breath, she said, "So what do you think will happen?"

"I don't know. We'll probably talk it over. He'll apologize. He'll probably do a lot of apologizing."

"So, what if he doesn't?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if he's asking you to dinner to tell you that he doesn't want to get back together?"

"He's not," Haley said.

"How do you know? I mean, maybe you shouldn't go."

Haley laughed softly. "Brooke, I can't just not go to dinner with him, either way. He's the father of my child."

"Yeah, and you're the mother of his child, but he didn't have a problem with leaving you."

"Brooke. Stop it. And well, he's back now."

"Okay, but even so.. Haley, you are the _best_ person I know. If a guy leaves you for more than _one_ minute, let alone five days, he isn't worthy of you. You deserve better."

Her friend swallowed. "He's my husband."

"And I'm your best friend. I don't think this is a good idea."

"I'll be fine," Haley smiled, as she pulled on a string of pearls Jake had gotten her the previous Christmas. "Aren't these nice? He got this for me last Christmas. I never had the opportunity to wear them. Until now." She lightly touched the pearls strung around her neck, and Brooke sighed.

"Yeah, they're pretty."

Haley approached her hesitant friend with a smile. She cupped Brooke's cheeks in her hands. "Brookie, I'm going to be fine."

"I know, I just worry."

"Usually, I'm the one worried about you." Haley laughed.

"Yeah,_that's_ what worries me!"

Both girls smiled, and Brooke took her friend's hand.

"Good luck."

--

Haley glanced at her watch as she reached the table. She was nearly eight minutes late. It had been a nightmare getting a cab, and the traffic had been terrible. She'd ended up walking six blocks.

Sure enough, Jake was already at a table waiting. When he saw her, he gave her a small smile and a wave that settled her nerves a bit.

"You look nice." He told her once she'd finally reached the table.

"Sorry I'm late." She said.

"I'm just surprised. You're usually always punctual." He looked down at his watch and nodded.

"I know. Me and Brooke just got talking, and you know how that is.." She trailed off, not feeling the need to explain anymore. He _did_ know how it was. They'd been together for years, and Brooke always had the ability to make her late.

"Brooke?" He frowned. Brooke and Jake had never really gotten along. Or rather, Jake had never liked her. The fact that she was twenty-six years old, and not looking for a serious relationship or job had always annoyed him. He'd told Haley several times that she was just free-loading off their relationship. This had always been Haley's worst thing with Jake.

"Yeah, uh, actually she's staying at the house right now."

His frown deepened. "Why?"

"It's a long story. But anyway, I'm really glad you called."

He sighed. "Yeah. I'm sorry it took me so long.." He scratched the back of his head.

"No, it's fine. All that's important is that you finally called."

The restaurant was dimly lit, and filled with other couples. This was clearly a romantic place, the type of place someone would probably propose, or perhaps celebrate an anniversary.

"So."

"So."

They began speaking at the same time, and both of them laughed nervously, looking down at the table.

"You first," She told him, crossing her hands nervously and fiddling with her wedding ring. Her gaze traveled towards his own right hand; no ring was present.

"Uh, alright. Look, I've been.. I've been looking into… a divorce."

Still caught up with the fact that he was not wearing a ring, these words hardly registered in her mind. When they finally did, she fought the urge to scream.

"Wait, what?"

"Haley.."

Tears filled her eyes for the first time. This whole thing- she had thought it was just a phase. He had _left_ their family unexpectedly, and it was because he was going through something. She could not believe that after years together, he suddenly - out of _nowhere_ - wanted a divorce.

"How could this--We were fine!"

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, it's just… this is just how I feel."

"_What_ is how you feel? I have no idea what you're talking about! You haven't told me _anything _about why you left or what you're feeling! Are you, is there someone else?"

"Haley--"

"No! Tell me right now. Are you seeing someone else?" She was on the verge of going hysterical.

He dropped his head in shame. "Look, I.."

She could not believe this. For exactly one minute she had _suspected_ him of cheating, feeling in her heart and head that it was not possible. Jake was _not_ this man. And now, with the way he was looking and acting, she was absolutely positive. Before she could stop herself, she had reached over the table, slapping him as hard as she could across the face.

"You son of a bitch! How _dare_ you! Look at me! Look at me, Jake! How can you just sit there and keep your head down and live with yourself as if you've done nothing wrong?" People were now beginning to stare.

"Please, sweetheart, just keep it down, okay?"

"_Don't_ call me sweetheart! You - you made me think that we were going to be okay. We have a _daughter_! Who is she? What's her name?"

"Nikki. Look, I'm sorry. I don't know how it happened, but--"

"Oh God, I'm pathetic. God, I can't believe I- I wore this stupid dress and I'm wearing those pearls you gave me.. I- I actually thought that you might come home with me tonight! You want a divorce? You'll get a divorce, asshole! But Ava is _staying_with me!"

With that, she grabbed her water glass, looking so lonely beside an empty plate and un-used napkin; the bastard hadn't even waited until they'd gotten their appetizers. With all her might, she flung the water onto his face and shirt, and he gasped, standing up.

Using all the strength she could muster up, she stormed from the restaurant, tears running down her cheeks.

She blindly raised her hand for a cab, and when one finally stopped, she sobbed out her home address, crying loudly the entire ride home. Sobs echoed from her tiny frame, and she did not even try to stop them.

How could this happen to her? She wasn't even thirty and soon she'd be… divorced? How could Jake be seeing another woman? They had been happy, hadn't they?

She threw cash at the cab-driver, as they reached her house, and she stumbled across the street into the front door, pulling off her heels and throwing them away from her. She had barely managed to get the front door open, when she saw Brooke's worried face appear from the top of the stairs.

Haley wanted to scream, but when she tried, no sound came out. She collapsed, a heap on the stairs, wailing uncontrollably. Brooke was down the stairs in a flash, pulling her into her arms and holding her close.

"It's okay, it's okay."

But all she could think to do was the rip the pearls from her neck, and when she did, she threw them across the room, hearing each individual bead hit the ground, wishing it was him smashing up against the floor.

When she finally screamed, she could not stop, and Brooke was left helplessly beside her, doing the best she could to pick up all the pieces; to fix her friend.


	5. Where You End and I Begin

_**Author's Note: **_Thanks for the reviews guys, I really love reading them. Also, _one_ of the Scott brothers will be coming within the next two chapters, and the other pretty soon after. I've started planning this story out more thoroughly and I'm pretty excited for it. Oh, I kind of stole an OTH and put it in here, which I'm sure you'll notice. Heh. Enjoy and review.

_**Change in the Weather**_

_**Chapter Four: Where You End and I Begin**_

She didn't know how to be the strong one.

As Haley lay in her lap, tears falling like an endless waterfall from her eyes, sobs ripping so loudly from her body that Brooke _herself_ winced from them, she realized that she had no idea how to be the one that held together her broken best friend. Sure, she knew how to keep her_self_ together; it was all a matter of the wall she'd forced herself to build. For some reason, she was pretty sure Haley hadn't built a wall similar to her own. In fact, she was sure Haley had never experienced this type of pain before.

Haley had grown up in a loving family, had really only seriously dated one guy, and had then _married_ him. Of course she was freaking out right now! Brooke just wasn't sure she knew how to handle it. There was only so much a back rub and the repeated phrase of, "It's going to be okay, Hales," could do.

"It's going to be okay, Hales." One more time couldn't hurt, and besides, too much time had passed without her and Haley speaking; or rather, _her_ speaking_to_ Haley, who just cried, and cried, and had yet to stop since she'd walked in the door hours earlier.

Her words had apparently been wrong, because seconds after she uttered them, Haley's cries grew louder and more agonizing. "Okay, don't do this to me," Brooke sniffled as tears began to roll down her own cheeks. "I know I'm supposed to be strong right now, but I _can't_ have you crying in order to be strong."

Despite herself, Haley laughed through a sob, and then began to sob harder. Before either girl knew it, they were a sobbing heap on the bed. Brooke couldn't help but feel thankful that Ava usually slept like a log; otherwise they'd be enduring some _pretty_ curious questioning right now.

Finally, once Brooke had finally pulled herself back into a sitting position, and was dabbing her eyes with her cardigan, Haley rolled over to face her, swollen eyes opening wide and her lips parting to speak. "You know," she said quietly, "just this once, I deserve a big, _fat_ 'I told you so'."

She smiled softly, pressing her lips to her friend's forehead lightly. "Well, you won't get it from me."

Haley sighed loudly, pulling herself up into a sitting position. Subsequently, her head began spinning, and before she knew it she'd thrown herself back down onto the bed. Brooke lowered herself to her friend's level, pulling Haley's hand into her own.

"Why does this hurt so much?" Haley whimpered.

"I wish I could tell you, babe. What exactly did he say?" As much as she wanted to be supportive, she felt, in order to be _fully_ supportive, she needed to know every detail of the entire evening. But with the way Haley was acting, she was sure she'd end up kicking Jake's ass before the night was even over.

Haley rolled onto her back, shaking her head. "It was so stupid. He actually - he said there was someone _else_."

"Whoa, what?"

"Yeah, apparently her name is Nikki. I couldn't really find out much else about her, because you know, I was busy throwing water at his face."

Brooke nodded, smirking slightly. "Saves me a job."

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you," Haley started, causing Brooke to shake her head vigorously.

"Honey, I think we can both argue that listening to me is not _usually_ the route you want to take."

Both girls giggled to themselves, and soon after Haley closed her eyes, groaning loudly. "This sucks. I don't even want to think about it."

"So don't. Fuck him. Let's not let him get to us." Brooke shrugged.

"Yeah," Haley snorted. "It's just too bad I'm legally bound to him and am also currently housing his child."

"Well, there's that."

"Brooke,"

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay here tonight?"

Brooke grinned, nudging her friend. "Well, I was planning on it. I'm here for you, buddy."

--

"Mom, seriously… mom! No. No, tell Dad I'm fine. I'm _fine_… I'm not discussing my sex life with you, mother… Why _not?_Why would I?.. No, that's not healthy! Okay, I'm hanging up now. I'm- Mom! I'm hanging up,_okayyeahbye_." The end of her sentence came out in one long, rushed breath as she slammed the phone down, rolling her eyes.

From her perfect eavesdropping spot at the kitchen counter, Brooke sighed loudly. "Man, your mom is _so_ cool."

"Urgh," Haley grumbled, rubbing her temples furiously. "Mom was actually threatening to come with dad and '_make sure I'm okay_'." She mimicked her mother's voice terribly, and Brooke would have told her this had the circles under her best friend's eyes not been so big and dark.

"I wouldn't mind seeing her." She shrugged. Lydia James was the mother she'd never had. When she'd been in high school, Lydia had been the woman she'd talked to about _everything_. And when Haley had gone away to summer camp over the summer after Freshman year, Brooke had spent multiple evenings in her bedroom and just hanging out with Lydia. When Haley had pulled away from her mother's smothering hugs, annoyed, Brooke had been waiting with arms wide open. In fact, the hardest part about leaving Tree Hill had really been leaving _Lydia_. She'd felt like she was separating from her own mother, and really, saying goodbye to the woman that had _actually_given her birth hadn't been hard at all. It was strange, really.

"Well, of course, because you and my mom are best friends forever!" Haley deadpanned, rolling her eyes immediately afterwards.

"_Okay_, grouchy. So I'm guessing me suggesting that you call your parents and tell them wasn't the best idea?"

"No, it was," Haley nodded. "But only because now the bet's over and everyone finally has to pay Taylor who was… right. For possibly the first time of her existence," pause. "I need coffee. Or maybe gin. You?"

Brooke made a face. "Nah, I'm actually good. But thanks," when Haley got up to enter the kitchen, she shook her head. "Haley, come on. Don't you think it was kind of time to tell your parents? It's been like two weeks since dinner with Jake."

"Yeah, but I hadn't even told my _daughter_ yet."

"Uh-huh, your daughter is _three_."

Haley stuck out her tongue. "Point being?"

Her face growing serious, Brooke stared Haley in the eye. "You're handling this well, Hales. I don't… I don't even know if I'd be up right now if I were you."

"Well, I've definitely got obligations," Haley gestured towards the sleeping child on the couch in front of them, and Brooke nodded. "I'm terrified of her finding out. Divorce can really ruin a child, I've heard."

"Nah," Brooke counseled. "I've got a cousin whose parents divorced when he was like, five. And that's supposedly the age where it's really supposed to affect you."

"Which cousin?"

"Bobby."

Haley closed her eyes, lifting her index finger and thumb to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Brooke, Bobby is the starring _woman_ in that burlesque show, '_Viva Las Gay-gas_'."

"Yeah, that has nothing to do _that_. When we'd play house when we were kids, he would _always_be the girl. Willingly. He also tried to steal my Ken doll several times, and this was all before his parents divorced."

Haley chortled. "What about all those little journal entries he wrote in pre-school for the teacher? 'Daddy packed his stuff today', 'daddy and mommy are always fighting now'. Your aunt had social services called on her!"

Brooke bit her lip. "_Again_, nothing to do with the divorce. That woman was just crazy." She shuddered.

Haley exhaled, her eyes drifting once more from her crazy friend to her sleeping child. "I just don't think I can do it. I don't even know how I would explain it to her."

"Hey, no one said it was going to be easy. But we'll do it together. She'll be fine. _You're_ her mother, after all."

"That's what worries me." She grumbled. For a moment she began to wonder just _how_ well Brooke knew her. After all, shouldn't her best friend know that inside, she was crumbling? That this was something she had never prepared herself for; that she was now doing everything in her power just to remind herself to _breathe_?

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Okay, _breathe_."

Haley frowned. Scary. "Okay, Brooke, I don't think I can tell her. You do it. Please?"

"Haley!"

"What? I thought you were my best friend." The lighter-haired of the two pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Seriously?! You're playing the best friend card?" Brooke hissed, and after a moment, the defeated Haley sighed, dropping her head.

"No, I'm not. I'm just barely handling this myself. I think I should wait until _I'm_ ready to deal with it before I make _her_ start to deal with it."

"_Or_," Brooke added, "you could just not tell her. She'd probably forget him eventually anyway.."

"You're right. _That_ would probably be the mature way to handle the situation." Haley grinned admiringly at her best friend. Through every problem she'd ever have, she could certainly count on Brooke to make light of the situation; it was one of her best qualities.

Brooke crinkled her nose. "Who said anything about maturity?"

"I-" Haley stopped herself, shaking her head. "Okay, I'm going to go upstairs and take a bath. You, behave."

--

It was hard to behave when you were bored. Brooke had realized this in her life several times before; when she'd been left alone to work at Vic's Café, when she'd been left alone _period_, and especially at times like this, when she'd been left alone with nothing to do but watch a baby sleep for _hours_.

Haley had been in the bath for over four hours now, so long that Brooke had taken several trips to the bathroom just to make sure the girl was still afloat. Of course, every time Brooke entered, prude that she was, Haley would be sitting in the bathtub with her arms crossed tightly over her chest and with a frown so deep that would frighten Brooke so much, she'd sputter out some excuse and hightail it out of there before any punches were thrown. Or rather, bars of soap.

She realized she needed to get a life - or perhaps a job - considering just weeks before, she'd been out partying every night, and now she spent most of her time sitting on Haley's couch waiting for Grey's Anatomy on Thursdays and then Friends re-runs every other second of the day. That is, if she wasn't watching Ava or Haley for that matter.

Brooke sighed loudly, eyes focused on the quiet television. Ava was _still_ sleeping (deep sleepers were certainly a James Family gene, except for when it came to Haley, who enjoyed waking up before the sun even did) and it was already dark, so Brooke was forced to watch Friends on mute. And as much as she enjoyed trying to read lips, she was five seconds away from pulling Haley out of the tub _herself_.

There was a knock at the door, and Brooke searched her mind for people that could be knocking, and found that she came up with no one. Yeah, she needed a life.

"Haley!" She called out as she stood. "Someone's at the door!"

"So, answer it!" Came the annoyed reply.

"Yeah, but you should come down here, anyway! You know, just in case it's someone really cool." She really just wanted an excuse for Haley to get _out _of the friggin' tub.

"I'll pass, Brooke!"

"Alr_iii_ght," she sang, "but what if it's Justin Timberlake? What if he's decided he's going to have sex with the next person that answers the door no matter what?"

"Well, then have fun!"

"Ok_ay_," she rolled her eyes, "but what if it's Yoko Ono? How disappointed are you going to be if Yoko Ono is at your door and you're not the one to answer it?"

Whoever was at the door was now getting impatient and ringing again. Damn person.

"Brooke, answer the door!"

She sighed, pulling the door open. At the sight of Vivian James, her eyes narrowed. The eldest James sister stood before her with condescending eyes and a fancy business suit.

"Aren't you going to ask me in? Or are you really still _that_ rude?"

Well, this should be fun.


End file.
